SNOWY EGRETS

by Georgina Mating

Flying silently overhead,

Plumage glowing in the sun

Standing, unmoving, by the road

Your piercing, golden eye staring at me

In a field of growing rice

You wait patiently for a meal

I find you around when I am overwhelmed

You shepherd me safely through traffic

I barely miss hitting a fawn

And there you are soothing me again

Your serendipitous appearances tell me 

I am protected, I am safe, I am blessed

How thankful I am whenever I see you

I take hope and courage from you

Sometimes it is just too much to bear

The uncertainty of my life and my thoughts

Since you died I am lonely and afraid

Driving one day I experience utter desolation

Tears streaming down my face, I cry aloud

“Oh Ron, I miss you so much”

Around the next curve there is a pond

Totally filled with my Snowy Egrets

It will be okay, I will survive

And I will be watched over